Looking for something spicy to eat? Tired of the plain, old, simple recipes and looking for something to take your taste buds on an adventure? We got you! Air Fryer Chile Rellenos is what you need in your life. One of the most popular Mexican dishes out there, chile Rellenos are basically chilies that are stuffed with cheese and then deep fried. The result is a crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside dish that you can enjoy as a snack and also as a side meal.
But how about an air fryer version of this dish? Yes, you heard it right! You can make delicious chile Rellenos even in the air fryer and enjoy a slightly healthier version of the dish. How cool is that? So what are you waiting for? Read the recipe below and get ready to make your own version of air fryer chile Rellenos.
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Ingredients for Air Fryer Chile Rellenos
Now let’s come to the main part. Here’s what you will need to make this super easy, delicious recipe of air fryer chile Rellenos.
- Peppers of your choice. We recommend using poblano peppers.
- 1 cup of corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley or cilantro
- 1 chopped green scallions
- 1 cup of your favorite cheese. We use Monterey jack cheese.
- 2 tablespoons of Mexican crema or sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 cups of chicken broth (or veggie broth for the vegetarian version)
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1 can of tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons of ancho chile powder
- ½ cup of yellow onion, finely chopped
How To Cook Chile Rellenos In Air Fryer
Here’s how you can cook this recipe:
- First, prepare your peppers by placing them in the air fryer for at least 10 minutes. At the 5 minutes mark, make sure to turn the peppers halfway so it is charred from both sides. Then, remove the peppers from your air fryer and place them in a plastic bag for 5 minutes. This will allow the peppers to steam for a while.
- Then, take a bowl and combine your cilantro, corn, scallion, cheese, salt, and black pepper together.
- Also, prepare a sauce for your peppers by heating the oil in a skillet and tossing some onions. Then, add your garlic, tomato paste, oregano, chile powder, salt, and cumin. Let the sauce simmer for at least a minute before adding the chicken stock and lemon juice.
- Now slit down the peppers from the center. Make sure to remove the seeds but don’t tear the chile.
- Carefully place your corn and cheese mixture in the peppers.
- Place your stuffed peppers now in the preheated air fryer basket and let them cook until the cheese has melted properly.
- Once cooked, you can take out your peppers and serve them with the sauce.
- Now you can enjoy it!
You can also roast chiles in an air fryer, but be careful. Air fryers are very powerful and your peppers can burn easily. As most air fryers don’t have a look through window you’ll have to check them regularly.
It doesn’t really matter what kind of air fryer you use for this recipe. You can use air fryer oven, basket-type or any other type of air fryer. For an air fryer oven I’d use a Kalorik MAXX air fryer oven and for the basket type I’d use a Ninja AF101.
Have a cool recipe that you have recently tried in the air fryer? Send us your creation and we shall post it on our blog.
What are Chile Rellenos?
Chile Relleno basically means stuffed pepper and that is exactly what it is: a big pepper stuffed with some delicious cheese, vegetables or meat in some case. Some of you would be surprised but Chile Relleno doesn’t originate from Chile but from Mexico. It was first described in the city of Puebla, Mexico as „green chili pepper packed with minced pork and covered with eggs”.
Most of the times poblano peppers are used for Chile Rellenos but sometimes they use pasilla or even jalapenos.
For the cheese filling mostly monterrey jack or asadero cheese is used. The pepper is battered in egg white and then deep fried (or air fryed Chile Rellenos in our case). Since it is a very popular dish in the US, especially New Mexico, it has different variations for both the battering and the fillings: pecan-encrusted, crab-filling, mushroom stuffed, tuna filled etc. (Source: Wikipeida)
Frequently Asked Questions About Air Fryer Chile Rellenos
Are Chile Rellenos healthy?
Chile relleno can be regarded as healthy if it is prepared in a way that it is low-fat. The cheese and the egg-white makes it a bit fatty but if you air fry it and not deep fry it is a lot more healthier. Also if you make the vegetarian version and not with minced pork it is
Are Chile Rellenos vegetarian?
Chile Rellenos can be vegetarian if you leave out the meat and put something else, like mushrooms in it.
Are Chile Rellenos keto?
Chile Rellenos are keto because it is low carb and mostly contains fat and protein. It doesn’t contain carbs because it is mostly made up of vegetables, cheese, and meat.
Are Chile Rellenos Spicy?
Chile Rellenos are usually spicy, given it is a Mexican dish, but if you make it at home you can add seasonings to your liking.
Are air fryer Chile Rellenos even worth the shot?
The answer is yes. Getting yourself an air fryer and making Chile Rellenos in it is worth it a 100%. Firstly, you don’t have to spend hours making this recipe. You can simply cook this recipe in under 40 minutes. Moreover, it’s super easy to make this recipe. All you need to do is char the peppers, stuff them with fillings, and cook.
Moreover, it’s super versatile and customizable. You can serve it both as a side dish and a main course. You can also stuff the air fryer with a variety of fillings and even make a vegetarian version of the dish. And let’s not forget – the jolt of flavors in the chile Rellenos make this dish extremely tasty.
Can you make Air Fryer Chili Relleno Casserole?
Yes you can but it would be hard to make it in a basket style air fryer. To make chile relleno casserole in an air fryer you’ll need an air fryer oven that can hold a relatively deep tray (made of glass or metal).
Here is a great video that shows how to make a chile relleno casserole:
In the video she says she cooks the casserole for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Well with an air fryer oven we can be much more productive of course. At 350 degrees usually 25-30 minutes are enough for the same result.
Air Fryer Chile Rellenos Recipe (Printable)
Air Fryer Chile Rellenos
Ingredients
- 2 pcs. Poblano Pepper
- 1 cup Corn kernels
- 1 tbsp. Chopped parsley or cilantro
- 1 cup Monterrey cheese
- 1 pc. chopped scallions
- 2 tbps. mexican crema or sour cream
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
- 2 tbsp. Lemon juice
- 2 cups Chicken (or veggie) broth
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp. Dried oregano
- 1 can Tomato paste
- 1 tsp. Minced garlic
- 2 tbsp. Ancho chile powder
- 1/2 cup Chopped onion
Instructions
- First, prepare your peppers by placing them in the air fryer for at least 10 minutes. At the 5 minutes mark, make sure to turn the peppers halfway so it is charred from both sides. Then, remove the peppers from your air fryer and place them in a plastic bag for 5 minutes. This will allow the peppers to steam for a while.
- Then, take a bowl and combine your cilantro, corn, scallion, cheese, salt, and black pepper together.
- Also, prepare a sauce for your peppers by heating the oil in a skillet and tossing some onions. Then, add your garlic, tomato paste, oregano, chile powder, salt, and cumin. Let the sauce simmer for at least a minute before adding the chicken stock and lemon juice.
- Now slit down the peppers from the center. Make sure to remove the seeds but don’t tear the chile.
- Carefully place your corn and cheese mixture in the peppers.
- Place your stuffed peppers now in the preheated air fryer basket and let them cook until the cheese has melted properly.
- Once cooked, you can take out your peppers and serve them with the sauce.
We hope you liked our Air Fryer Chile Rellenos recipe. If you are into mexican cuisine there are many dishes, that you can prepare in an air fryer. We have a great vegan burrito recipe that you might want to try. Or our air fryer taquitos is also a great choice.
Or if you just want to have some snack for your netflix show I recommend you to try making tortillas in an air fryer. It is easier than you think, and with the right dip it is one of the best thing in the world.
Our mexican desert, the sopapillas, are also a great recipe if you are holding a mexican themed dinner and looking for some sweets.
